This blog follows me, Raewyn MacG, around (hopefully) the world. Currently, I am based in back in New Zealand having returned from JET in August 2010. Still traveling, still having adventures, just not as many.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

It’s raining outside, snowed yesterday and it will snow again tomorrow.

It’s been ages since I wrote one of these because I’ve been run off my feet and/or extremely tired.

My family came a few weeks ago and that was awesome.I will write about that in a later entry, however, because this entry is about the past 2 weeks.

Oh my goodness!!!These last 2 weeks have been INSANE!!!!!!

Last week consisted of graduation ceremonies, post graduation parties and lots of tears.It was a display of nationalism and perfectionism like nothing ever seen in New Zealand.Those kids practised hard for their graduations and when they finally happened they cried the whole way through.It was an amazing, if extremely emotional, week of firsts for me. I had no idea what graduations in Japan were like prior to coming but now I know and I was amazed.I was also highly impressed.Those kids worked hard, tried hard and put on a good show.

Public holiday for the vernal equinox on Friday, nice.

Saturday, went to Himi, found New Zealand in Japan.I love that place and that beach and am going to be going back as soon as I get the chance.

Church on Sunday, awesome!Didn’t understand a thing.:DIn saying that I did understand what the old ladies were saying to me after church which was quite the feat.I am most pleased, though, because it means my listening is getting better.

Monday, uneventful, spent it colouring some things for school.

Tuesday, sigh, Tuesday.Closing ceremony closely followed by the announcement of the teachers who will no longer be working at my base school from next month and the names of the teachers they are being replaced with.One of my favourite teachers has been switched out and a few others of my colleagues are leaving that can speak English, that makes me sad but, hey, can’t do anything about it right, the Japanese system is the Japanese system.I went to Yacchin’s that night to have them cheer me up.It didn’t work.I got a message from my friend saying that she had been switched out of my favourite school along with 4 other teachers and one more retiring.I burst into tears and sat there staring at my okonomiyaki for a long time, it got stuck to the hot plate.I felt like someone had died and proceeded to devise a plan to make presents for those who were leaving from that school.

Wednesday, rather uneventful apart from a slight cut created somehow in the A/C Adaptor of my laptop which I noticed in the evening after I had been shopping for the final touches to my gifts.

Thursday.Dear goodness!My adaptor is still broken, I thought that was a dream.HP New Zealand told me that they can’t send a replacement adaptor to Japan, I was not happy, but what made me more angry was that they suggested that I try the Japanese HP website.I tried that!It was all in kanji, I can’t read kanji, I’m not Japanese and I am not that good at Japanese. I later got the phone number for HP Japan and found out that they actually do not stock my adaptor here anyway.

So, I go to school and spend the day looking at the newly introduced English Note (notebook/textbook) thing the primary school 5th and 6th graders will be using from the start of the new school year in a couple of weeks time.It’s mostly review for my students so they’re going to have a great time, they may even get through it in just 2 weeks if they’re onto it.

I got taken out for lunch by one of my favourite teachers who is retiring with 2 other teachers which was lovely. Later on I got driven home an hour early by the vice principal who’s been switched into an office job.Sho asked me if I will stay for three years.I’m really not sure.I’m not sure how badly people back home want me to come home and I’m not sure how strong the pull home will be when it comes to signing that form in January next year.The next question was ‘what will you do if you do go home?’.Ummm…!Mum has her ideas, I have my ideas, I really don’t know.It’s not really something I want to think about right now, though I did think about it a lot on Thursday evening when I was cycling all over town trying to find a way to fix my adaptor.

Today was a normal day at work.Just plodding along.One of the science teachers fixed my adaptor for me.Who knew a science teacher could solder?I was soooooo scared when he chopped the cord off the adaptor, but he did it, it’s fixed now and I am incredibly happy.

Tonight, though, that was tough.We had the ‘sayonara’ party for the 15 teachers for whom this week has been their last week at Shikino.I was doing fine with the not crying until I gave the vice principal who is leaving to become a primary school principal a DVD that I’d made with the video from my first day at the sushi restaurant on it.I started crying and couldn’t stop. She also asked me what's next after being an ALT, if I knew I'd have told her but I really have no idea. So, due to crying and the tough questions, I didn’t go to the second half of the party.I thought it’s safer for my emotions that way.Came home and bawled my eyes out instead.I still am a bit emotional but that should settle down with some good sleep.

27 March 09 2330

28 March 09

I slept till 10 this morning.I am happy!But, I did kind of forget something, Mum understands... that forgetfulness means that I need to go out asap though so I best get onto it.